


Best Laid Plans

by danke_rose



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, I think it's fluff maybe?, kurtty - Freeform, some language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23465362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose
Summary: Kurt's plan to confess his feelings is dashed when Kitty comes home with surprising news.
Relationships: Kitty Pryde/Kurt Wagner
Comments: 9
Kudos: 12





	1. Tonight's the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick thing here. Nothing substantial, just for fun.  
> Short chapters, short fic.

Tonight was the night. He'd made up his mind, weighed the pros and cons and factored his responses to all the plausible scenarios. Kurt stepped out of the shower and toweled his hair dry, nervous jitters in his stomach making him take deep breaths as he wiped off the foggy mirror. She wouldn't reject him. He was pretty sure of that. At least, she wouldn't stop being his friend. Piotr had done terrible things, nearly killed her ex, Pete Wisdom, and cheated on her, but she still considered him a friend. Surely, _surely_ she could keep up a friendship with her best, closest friend in the world, even if he professed his undying love for her. Right?

He shook the doubts away again. He was going to tell her. Tonight.

He had it all planned, what he'd wear (something nice, but not flashy) where they'd go (her room, in case things went south) and exactly, word-for-word what he'd say. He'd even practiced saying it out loud, in case it sounded stupid. He dressed and with one more steadying breath, tucked his shirt in. He glanced at the clock for the hundredth time in the past hour. She was out to dinner with her friends and due back any time. They had training in the morning, so he didn't expect a late night.

He envisioned the whole scenario. She would come back in a good mood, happy and full of delicious food. He'd take her hand and look into her eyes and say those words. She'd be surprised, but she'd smile, _he hoped_ , and then maybe she'd kiss him. Yes, he'd planned it all out. There was a flower waiting for her on his dresser, a single purple bud, some exotic thing he couldn't pronounce that was the color of Lockheed. It smelled sweet, too, like her.

He heard voices in the hall, the ladies returning from their night out. His heart drummed in his chest and he felt suddenly too hot, and wished he'd picked a short sleeved shirt. One last glance in the mirror to adjust his collar and he went to the door just as she knocked.

She spilled into the room, her face beaming. “Oh my god, Kurt you will never believe what just happened!”

He shook himself, and before he could respond, she continued.

“You'll never believe who we just ran into. Of all the people. Guess!”

He scratched his head, trying to think who it could possibly be. He loved the way her eyes shone when she was excited, and the crooked smile on her face when she waited for him to make his guess. “Mark Hamill?” he ventured with a flash of fangs.

She laughed. “No, but that would've been awesome. It's someone you know, actually. Guess again.”

Kitty moved around the room, _his_ room, where she spent almost as much time as in her own, unable to stand still for even a second. She was practically bouncing. He hoped she would still be so happy when he finished talking to her.

He scratched his head and threw his hands up. “I have no idea, Kätzchen. Who did you see who has made you so happy?”

She came over and stood in front of him, hands on his upper arms, her face inches from his. “Pete!”

His mouth went dry and his blood turned cold and he was glad she was holding him because he thought he might actually faint. “Wisdom?” he croaked.

“Yes! He was at the same restaurant, and he saw us and oh my god, Kurt! We ended up talking for two hours, and he's taking me out again tomorrow and he says he's relocating here, to New York. Can you even believe it?”

He shook his head. He could not, in fact, even believe it.

Her hands slipped down his arms, and she rocked back on one hip, one finger curling around his. “Well, I know you didn't like him very much, but you could be a _little_ happy for me,” she said.

He blinked. “I am,” he said quickly, “I _am_ , I was surprised, that's all. I'm...I'm so happy for you, Kätzchen.” He held out his arms and her smile returned as she hugged him tight. “Don't worry, Fuzzy,” she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “I still love you.”

He cleared his throat and forced a smile for her. “I know it, Kätzchen. I love you, too.”

“I don't think I'll sleep at all tonight,” she said, dancing away from him again. “You wanna watch a movie?”

“Er, no thanks. I, uh, I can't tonight,” he said, stumbling over his words.

She seemed to see him for the first time. “Oh. Oh, hey, do you have a date or something? You look nice.”

“Yes,” he lied, “Yes, and I should be going.”

She trotted out of the room beside him. “Have fun,” she said and he watched her flounce down the hall, catching Lockheed as he flew out to greet her.

He had not planned for this.


	2. Out of the Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for language

Pete Wisdom had been a thorn in her past for so long, she'd gotten used to the pain of his memory. She'd fallen for him, an older man, when she was barely an adult herself, and he had swept her up in the thrill of a real relationship. He told her she was beautiful and smart and sexy. Womanly. He didn't see a scrawny thirteen-year-old kid when he looked at her.

But he'd also ignored that youth and inexperience with adult relationships, and when her feelings faltered, he bolted. He made up his mind the minute she opened her mouth, and no amount of explaining would make him understand that the only thing that had happened was that she had remembered she wasn't thirty yet. For too long, she'd held onto the hope that he'd come back eventually, until even she couldn't continue to delude herself.

Her friends had helped her through it, consoling her and cheering her when they could. She'd cried on Kurt's shoulder more nights than she cared to admit, and he had been a warm and constant comfort.

When Kitty spotted Pete at the restaurant, her first instinct had been to walk over and punch him, but she refrained. She was more mature now. Dealing with the police over him wasn't worth it. Instead, she had pointedly ignored him, talked to her friends, and made sure to be happy when he walked by and saw her.

She'd never forget the way he stopped dead at their table.

“Fuck me,” he said in surprise.

“I don't think so, Pete,” she replied without looking at him. She meant to give him the cold shoulder until he walked away, but he pulled up a chair and sat beside her and didn't leave, even when she picked up the conversation with her friends. “What do you want?”

“I think about you every day,” he said. “Figured I'd never see you again.”

“Yeah. So did I.”

He fiddled with a cigarette but didn't light it. “I miss you, Pryde.”

And then her friends had gotten up and she and Pete had spent two hours talking. He said things that made her wonder if he was a clone or a shapeshifter, but he knew things only Pete would know, and by the end of the night when her friends came back to get her, they'd decided to see each other again.

  
  


She could hardly wait to tell Kurt the news, pounding on his door excitedly when she got home. It took him forever to open it, and she rushed in without even greeting him, bursting with the news. His face when she told him who she'd seen had been unreadable. He'd never cared much for Pete, begrudgingly allowing him a place on the team only because she had been the one to ask. Kitty was convinced if Pete had done the asking, the answer would have been very different.

So it wasn't entirely surprising that he was shocked. He said he was happy for her only after she prompted him. He might not like Pete, but she had every confidence in his friendship with her. And if Pete made her happy, he'd find a way to be happy for her, too.

Then she noticed he was dressed up, one of his nice button-down shirts—done up properly—and dark jeans. He was going on a date. That was good. She hoped it went well, that this time the woman would be genuine in her interest. She followed him out to the hall, and Lockheed flew out to greet her. She swept the dragon up in her arms while Kurt went down the hall the other way.


	3. One Day Late

Kurt did not have a date, but he walked into downtown Salem Center anyway, stopping at the fountain to sit. _One verdammt day_ , he thought. One damn day too late and he'd lost his chance. Then again, maybe it was better this way. Perhaps after all, this was the answer he would have gotten had he confronted her. He had planned what to say if she did not love him. He had not planned on contending with her ex-boyfriend.

He wondered if he could take a long-term mission somewhere out of the country. Maybe Tibet. Australia. Antarctica. The thought of facing her, ecstatic and glowing every day, and knowing her happiness was caused by someone else was going to hurt. It already did, like a festering wound.

Pete Wisdom. _Of all people_ , Kurt groaned, _why him_?

He didn't have to remind himself about Pete's bad habits or snarky attitude. He didn't have to remind himself how the man had jilted Kitty the minute things got tough. He didn't have to remind himself how she'd grieved the loss of him for months, crying to Kurt and questioning everything she'd ever said or done. He was a fool to think he'd ever had a chance with her. He sighed wearily and headed back to the mansion. Maybe Logan had left some beer in the fridge.

He teleported directly to his room after finding none in the common kitchen. Kitty must have been waiting for him, because not ten minutes later, she was at his door again. He honestly considered not answering, or even pretending he'd brought someone back with him. But he could not escape the image of her face in his mind, standing expectantly outside his door, believing him to be the best friend he professed to be.

He steeled himself and opened the door.

“How'd it go?” she said, that same eager smile on her face from before. She was so happy, and clearly hoped he was, too. He hated to disappoint her.

“Uh...”

“Oh,” she said, frowning as she touched his elbow. “No good?”

“It's all right,” he said, opening the door wider to let her in.

He was torn between wanting her there and wanting her to leave. When she was the source of his pain, he didn't know how she could possibly help him. But he couldn't bear to send her away, either. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, and tugged the hem free of his slacks. At his dresser, he noticed the flower, still lying there, waiting for Kitty. He picked it up and twirled it in his fingers, letting the sweet scent waft around. It needed water.

“Here,” he said, handing it to her. “I left it by mistake. Someone should have it.”

“Thanks, Kurt. It's pretty, what is it?”

“I don't know.”

“It's the same color as Lockheed. Cool. I'll put it in water so it won't die.” She paused. “Can we talk when I come back?”

“Of course,” he said, and though it felt like a lie, “Anytime.”

He changed quickly from jeans to sweats, and rooted around in the mini fridge, hoping there might be at least one beer left. Nothing. He threw himself onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, and didn't bother moving when he heard her return. She climbed up beside him and looked down with a smirk that faded the longer she stared. She laid her hand on his forehead and brushed stray curls away from his eyes. His chest twisted in tight knots that threatened to choke him. He closed his eyes.

“Y'know what?” she said, leaning close enough that he could feel her breath on his cheek. She stroked his forehead. “We can talk later. How about a movie instead?”

“That's fine,” he said, still not moving. He wanted to be happy for her, to be a good friend, but he needed a night to wrap his head around the disaster this perfectly planned evening had become. And yet, here she was.

He opened his eyes as she scooted down to lie beside him, wrapping her arm across his chest and cuddling her cheek into his shoulder. “Aw, Fuzzy, I'm sorry it was a bad night.” Her comfort was going to end him. He hooked his arm over her shoulder and patted her arm, exhaling unsteadily.

“It's okay,” he said, thinking that if things had gone well, they might have been lying together like this, talking about other things besides bad fake dates and Pete Wisdom. This was what he had, though, and when he glanced down at her, snuggling close, he decided it wasn't all that bad. She was his friend, through all of it, and that hadn't changed. He simply had to learn to be content.


	4. Can't Be Fixed

After the first rush of surprise and delight wore off, Kitty realized she wasn't happy. She expected to be happy, especially since she'd spent so long wishing for his return. Now that Pete had actually come back, she thought things should return to how they had once been, when she'd dreamed of being Mrs. Peter Wisdom, raising up little Wisdom babies and growing old with him. But she didn't have those dreams anymore. Her room smelled of cigarettes and cheap whiskey, and his constant moping quickly became tiresome. She no longer imagined she'd be the one to make him happy, to bring him out of his foul moods and heal him. He was the same as he'd been when she was younger, but she wasn't. Now she knew she couldn't fix him.

Still, she persevered, telling herself she was being too hard on him, too hard on the relationship, and giving up too quickly. She longed to talk to Kurt about it, but he pointedly changed the subject whenever she brought up Pete. If he had to, he spoke to him. If he had to, he tolerated his presence. But more often than not, if Pete was around, Kurt wasn't.

Kitty lay awake one night, listening to Pete snoring beside her and staring at the ceiling. She hadn't seen Kurt in a while, and she missed him. She got up and wandered down the hall, surprised to find his door open.

“Hey,” she said from the doorway. “What're you doing up so late?”

“I could ask you the same, Kätzchen.” He turned in his desk chair and gestured at the computer. She wandered in and looked at the screen.

“A dating site?”

He shrugged. “I've been staring at the profile page for an hour.” He scrunched up his nose when she moved closer to his side, but said nothing. She knew she smelled like Pete's cigarettes.

“Do you think it's worse than brimstone?” she said, trying to be funny.

He didn't answer her, and that was answer enough.

“Well,” she said, suddenly not knowing what to say to him. She'd never felt awkward in his presence before, not like this. “I didn't mean to bother you. I'll leave you alone.”

He ducked his head slightly. “You aren't bothering me.”

She hesitated, watching him stare at the computer and refuse to look her way. “You want me to write that for you?”

“No, but thank you.”

“Okay. I'm gonna go back to bed.” She shifted from one foot to the other. “Say something about your tail.”

He looked at her, one dark blue brow raised, partly hidden by a shock of hair that had fallen over his forehead.

“Women love it,” she said.

He seemed to finally realize she was joking, and smiled. “Good night, Kätzchen,” he said.

  
  


She went back down the hall to her own room, crawled into her bed, and cried.


	5. Life is Full of Surprises

Kurt finally got called up for an away mission, eager to put some distance between himself and the school and Pete. Kitty wasn't on the team, and for once, he was grateful. He needed a little distance from her, too. He had to stop wishing for more, when she was his best friend and he should be content. He was not content. He loved her dearly, and trusted her, but he was only human. He wanted to share everything with her, all his love and his dreams and his fears, he wanted to place it all in her hands and let her take care of it. He wanted to wake up with her face beside him and listen to her sleepy thoughts and bring her lunch and lie under a computer console with her while she worked and kiss her into oblivion.

The mission would be good for him.

It was such a standard mission he went through the motions of it, barely having to think about the fight or the sneaking around before it was all over and they were heading home again. Two days of nothing but thinking. Maybe he'd take some time off and go hiking somewhere. Maybe the entire Appalachian Trail. He wondered how long that would take.

It was late when they arrived, well after ten. He dragged his weary body upstairs—when had he slept a full night last?—only to meet Kitty on the way, arms full of laundry that overflowed her basket. Odd for her to be doing that so late at night, but he didn't question her. He was too tired, and not prepared to deal with the emotion of hearing about how wonderful Pete was.

“Hey,” she said.

“Do you want help?”

“No, it's fine. Just...it's a lot but it's fine.”

He set his bag down on the stairs and pulled half the pile off the top. Now that he could see her face, he realized there were bags under her eyes and she was slightly flushed. Her smile was genuine, but she looked tired. More than tired, _sad_.

In the laundry room, she dumped everything into a couple of washers and started them. She tucked some hair behind her ear, which promptly fell back into her face.

“I need a shower,” she said. “Or I'd hug you.”

“I haven't showered yet, either.” He held his arm out and she fell into it. He wasn't prepared, and stumbled back a step.

“Kätzchen?”

“I broke up with Pete,” she said, her lips moving against the fabric of his uniform, taut across his chest.

He squeezed her tighter. “I'm sorry, _schatz_.” Now the laundry made sense.

“Thanks.”

She stood up, pressing the heel of her hand against her eye.

“Let's go upstairs, get cleaned up, and we'll talk then.”

“That sounds really good,” she said. “I'm glad you're home.”

“So am I,” he said.

He was torn between being happy about the news and feeling bad for her, and guilty that he was so happy it was over. He never wished her pain, but he didn't wish her to be with Pete, either.

He showered and put on clean pajamas and made hot chocolate while he waited for her. He set it on the table beside his bed when she knocked. Her hair was still damp, water running down the back of her pajamas, making a wet spot where it dripped onto his comforter. She accepted the hot chocolate gratefully.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he said.

“Nothing happened,” she said, and his confusion must have shown, because she laughed. “I know it sounds crazy.”

“Not crazy, but...a bit perplexing.”

She blushed, her whole face pink, and she twisted her hands around the mug of hot chocolate, staring into it like she could find some answers in there. “You see...”

“Whatever reason you had, any reason, is enough.” He tapped her knee with his tail. “It isn't healthy to continue dating someone if you aren't happy.”

She leaned into his shoulder briefly, nearly spilling her drink on his bed. She licked the drops that ran down the side of the mug before they could stain his covers, and he had to look away. Nothing had changed. She wasn't with Pete, but nothing had changed. He got up and fetched a towel from his bathroom, something to do. He wrapped it around her still-dripping hair and squeezed the water out, patting it dry up to the top of her head while she sat motionless and silent.

“Thanks,” she said when he was done. “Thanks for always being there for me.”

“It's what friends do, _ja_?”

“ _Ja_ ,” she said with a smile. “I was thinking about it, about how you are. You're my best friend for a reason. A lot of reasons. And I just realized...that's what I want. I want what I have with you, and I'm never going to get that. Not with Pete or Piotr or anyone else.”

“So you aren't going to date anymore because your best friend has set the bar too high?” he said, trying to inject some humor into the decidedly strange conversation.

“No. I mean, I don't know. That depends a lot on you.”

He let those words sink in. There was no plan any longer, no rehearsed lines to recite to her, no Lockheed colored flower to make her smile, only himself, and this moment as it was.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?” he said.

She grinned slowly, tightening her hold on his hand, her face tilted up invitingly.

“Yes, I would.”

She closed the space between them, kissing him before he could react properly, and he thought he didn't really need those plans after all.


End file.
